Government announces review of primary reading lessons

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced an independent review of teaching reading in primary schools.

The review will examine the role of synthetic phonics in reading lessons and look at the support for children with reading difficulties, the Education Secretary said.

Announcing the review, Mrs Kelly said: “There is a false notion that we have not been teaching synthetic phonics as part of the literacy strategy. We have. It is already at the heart of early literacy teaching for every child every day. The debate now centres not on whether to teach phonics, but how. Synthetic phonics, properly taught, can and does play an important part in teaching reading skills.”

The former Director of Inspection of education watchdog Ofsted, Jim Rose, will conduct the review, which will examine both academic research and classroom best practice in the use of synthetic phonics in schools and early years settings. The review will also consider recent reports by the Education and Skills Select Committee, Ofsted and the Clackmannanshire study.

Mr Rose said: “Getting literacy right in the early years is key to children’s long term educational success and personal fulfilment. We will look carefully and fairly at what robust research and sound practice have to tell us about how schools and early years settings can best deliver high quality teaching that results in successful learning for all children.”

The Education Secretary said that standards in primary schools were the highest that they had ever been, with 83% of 11-year-olds now reaching the expected reading level for their age and 78% achieving the expected overall level for their age in Key Stage 2 English tests.

Mrs Kelly said that the time was right to renew the government’s National Literacy Framework to ensure that more children progress with their reading.

Mr Rose is due to provide an interim report by November with final recommendations in January next year.

The review has been welcomed by Shadow Education Secretary David Cameron, who said that synthetic phonics appeared to be more effective than current teaching methods.

(KMcA/SP)